That sound you hear is the collective sigh of relief from millions of Toronto Maple Leafs fans.
According to Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas, Auston Matthews is fully recovered from Covid 19 and will be ready to play when camp opens.
This is the best possible news for the Leafs.
Three weeks ago, Steve Simmons broke the news that Matthews had gotten sick, and while the team didn’t deny it, they also hadn’t provided any updates, which had everyone pretty nervous.
But Matthews is, apparently, good to go.
Toronto Maple Leafs Franchise Player
The 22 year old Matthews had 80 points in 70 games, while scoring 47 goals. He led the NHL in 5v5 scoring, which he has done since his four goal debut in 2016.
Leafs GM Kyle Dubas says Auston Matthews is "fit to play" & ready to start camp
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) July 12, 2020
Matthews posted mid-50s percentages across the board, and was worth almost 4 WAR. He was the Leafs best player, and deserved consideration for the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s MVP.
The fact is, the Leafs absolutely dominate when he is on the ice.
Whether paired with William Nylander or MItch Marner, the Leafs have one of the best duos in the NHL. Matthews is already the best player in franchise history, and will one day lead the Leafs to (multiple) Stanley Cup as well as a Hart Trophy or two.
For now, however, it is enough to hear that he is healthy.
Matthews health was the single biggest issue facing the Toronto Maple Leafs as they gear up for the upcoming Playoff Tournement.
With a healthy Matthews, the Leafs have arguably the best team in the NHL, while without him they are dropping into the mid-teens.
The Covid 19 situation is obviously horrible, and it remains to be seen how the upcoming NHL playoffs will be affected, but this is some seriously great news, not just for Matthews and his family, but for the entire Leafs team and their fans.
(All stats naturalstattrick.com).
The Toronto Maple Leafs got further good news this morning when Mark Masters also tweeted out that if the team gets deeper into the playoffs, then there is a chance that Andreas Johnsson will also come back.
Johnsson had knee surgery and was expected to miss the rest of the season. He is the Leafs best left-winger and in my opinion, an extremely underrated player.
This starts the Leafs off on the right foot and is incredible news. So glad to hear that Matthews is healthy, and that Johnsson might be soon.